101 Officers Lauded For Excellent Police Work

By Miriam Rosenberg

Fiallo congratulates Arbia for his heroic acts on New Year’s Eve. Also pictured are Ferguson and Lipetri. Five officers from the 101 Precinct were recognized for their excellent police work during this month’s Precinct Community Council meeting.

“The arrests that these officers make on patrol are amazing. They’re some of the best patrol arrests I’ve ever seen,” said Deputy Inspector Michael Lipetri, the commanding officer of the precinct, referring to the months August, November and December.

On August 17, during what Lipetri called the “heart of gang violence” last summer, Officers Brian Gunn and Steven Humberg got two individuals out of a livery cab after noticing their nervous demeanor. Inside the cab the officers found a .357 loaded glock handgun. Both individuals, one a known gang member, were arrested.

Lipetri added that the gun retrieved by the officers had previously been used to shoot two people in two different instances within the precinct.

Officers Andrew Hayes, Steven Humberg, Brian Gunn, Matthew Glynn and Joseph Arbia are joined by Deputy Inspector Michael Lipetri, and the Community Council’s Denean Ferguson and Manny Fiallo after the awards presentation. Photos by Miriam Rosenberg On Thanksgiving night an 18-year-old male was shot on Beach Channel Drive and Dix Avenue. Three to four hours later an unknown assailant shot up a house, probably, Liperti said, in retaliation for the killing. The violence continued that Saturday evening as occupants of a car tried to shoot three people.

“[Officers Matthew Glynn and Andrew Hayes] got the description of the car, they pursued the car safely and they were able to apprehend the perpetrators after a foot pursuit in weeds, in the bay, and across backyards,” said the deputy inspector describing a pursuit straight out of a crime drama. “Two individuals were placed under arrest and those two individuals are still in on $200,000 bail.”

He added, “The thing that makes me proud is, it wasn’t going to stop until somebody else got killed. But I feel that these officers, with these arrests that they made, were able to take these two individuals off the street and stop further bloodshed.”

On New Year’s Eve Police Officer Joseph Arbia was scheduled to be part of the NYPD’s detail in Times Square. At approximately 2 p.m., prior to his leaving for the city, he stopped into a deli in Seaford, L.I. to pick up a sandwich for his finance. That’s when his plans changed. While in the deli someone came in and informed the off-duty officer that a robbery was taking place in the nearby pharmacy.

Lipetri described what happened next. Without time to call 911, Arbia ran out of the back of the deli and down an alley to the pharmacy.

“What he saw is two individuals, both with guns, and he then hears a shot and he takes cover,” explained Lipetri. “The robbery suspect stands up with a firearm in his hand and Joe Arbia shoots and kills the pertpetrator.”

Lipetri called Arbia’s actions heroic and added, “I couldn’t be more proud to be his commanding officer. … There were three other individuals with firearms there…. He assessed the situation. He took a step back, he was able to take a little cover and then only when the perpetrator came at him with a firearm in his hand is when he shot and killed the pertpetrator.”

Lipetri also asked for a moment of silence to remember an ATF agent who was killed in the robbery.

The head of ATF on Long Island told Lipetri and Arbia that the only thing Arbia could “have done differently that day is nothing.” In May Arbia will travel to Washington, D.C. to accept an award from the ATF.